Laugh-In's Ruth Buzzi Dead At 88
Funny lady Ruth Buzzi, who is best known for being a fixture on the 1960s/'70s variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, died on May 1 of complications from Alzheimer's disease. She was 88.
Buzzi's longtime husband, Karl Perkins, shared on Facebook in July 2022 that a series of "devastating strokes" had left the comedienne "bedridden and incapacitated."
"She is dealing with this situation bravely, and still with humor, believe it or not... and with the love of God in her heart and soul," Perkins wrote. "[S]he thanks you for being her friend, and for the love you've shown her continuously for the past six decades or more. Whatever happens, please know you have always been loved right back in return."
Buzzi's TV career began in the mid-1960s, with roles on the Saturday-morning cartoon Linus the Lionhearted (voicing Granny Goodwitch), That Girl and The Monkees, and a run on The Steve Allen Comedy Hour.
In January 1968, comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin launched Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, a hippies culture-fueled NBC sketch comedy series. Gary Owens served as the announcer, while original ensemble member Buzzi would be one of only three people — and the only woman — to appear in all 140 episodes and a 1971 special. (The other two were, well, Rowan and Martin.)
Buzzi's recurring Laugh-In characters included Busy Buzzi, a Hedda Hopper-type gossip columnist; barfly Doris Swizzler; and, perhaps most memorably, spinster Gladys Ormphby (who often was dogged by Arte Johnson's "dirty old man" character).
Buzzi's subsequent TV roles included Sid and Marty Krofft's The Lost Saucer (where she played android Fi to Jim Nabors' Fum), Whatever Turns You On, Days of Our Lives (as Eugene's quirky cousin, Letitia Bradford), The Love Boat, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Saved by the Bell (as Screech's mom) and Passions (as Nurse Kravitz).
Additionally, she did much voice work on series such as Plastic Man, Alvin & the Chipmunks, Paw Paws, The Berenstain Bears, Pound Puppies, The Addams Family and The Pink Panther.
Buzzi also over the years made dozens of appearances on Sesame Street, often voicing the character of Suzie Kabloozie.